The National Disaster Response Force will increase these public outreach activities in the coming times, NDRF Director General said.

Chennai: Members of the NDRF and officials conducting a tsunami mock drill in Chennai on November 24, 2017. (PTI)

The NDRF has trained over 55 lakh people across the country in order to better prepare the population against man-made or natural emergencies and build better preparedness against disasters.

The force had rescued 4,000 human lives in several operations in 2017, NDRF Director General (DG) Sanjay Kumar said on the occasion of the forces’ 13th Raising Day today.

“We have started familiarisation exercises, school safety programmes and mock exercises in which over 55.5 lakh people have sensitised by the force till now,” he said.

The National Disaster Response Force will increase these public outreach activities in the coming times, Kumar said.

“In 2017, the force responded to 447 operations in the form of floods, landslides, boat capsize, train accident and building collapse. We rescued 4,000 human lives and evacuated 1 lakh people to safer places,” he said.

Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director Rajiv Jain, who was the chief guest at the event, said the force has demonstrated “high level of professionalism, determination and hard work by countering multiple challenges with bravery.”

The NDRF was raised on this day in 2006 and has its twelve battalions based in various parts of the country for quick reaction.